G2 decimate reigning Worlds 2023 Champs T1 at Red Bull: League of Its Own
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesThough Red Bull: League of its Own was meant to be a fun esports event that’d pit T1 against European teams in a series of matches, the finale would put G2 against T1 on a level playing field. And, despite the odds, G2 managed to take down the reigning world champions.
The fashion in which G2 dropped out of Worlds 2023 contention ran counter to just how strong the team was domestically and in scrims.
Leaked scrim data showed G2 taking down almost every team in the world handily, making their poor performance against NRG a shock to many. However, G2 chose to keep the same team and double down on their roster to try to claim the west’s first world title.
And, though it was a day of fun matches and unorthodox picks from T1, their final match against G2 was evenly matched and without the handicaps that were placed against the Worlds 2023 champs from earlier in the day. Despite the odds, G2 won off the back of an incredibly strong showing from both Yike and Caps.
G2 Yike steps it up against T1 at Red Bull: League of its Own
It’s fair to say none of Europe’s teams were expected to be able to take T1 down, and it was mostly a dominant day for them. Despite being unable to pick champions that had been previously played on either side of the rift from previous matches on the day, Team Heretic’s new roster and KCorp both failed to make their matches look close.
What’s more, those handicaps were officially dropped when G2 took to the stage, depriving Europe’s strongest team of the advantage other teams from the region had.
Despite all of this, Yike’s hard carry performance on Bel’Veth carried the day and finally gave Europe a win over T1.
With Yike dominating the match from minute 1 and ending with a 17/1/11 slashline, he consistently outpaced Oner and managed to put the entirety of G2 on his back. Considering that he underperformed at Worlds 2023 and was a big question mark for G2 fans despite a strong showing for most of the year, this match really solidified just how strong of a jungler Yike can be.
T1 Zeus went as far as saying that playing against G2 on the stage felt like “competing at Worlds” in a post-game interview, and it played out like an incredibly competitive match that showcased two of the best teams in the world.
